Piper

Chapter Two

Piper slept wonderfully in Tyler's huge guest room. She would have slept longer, but she was awoken by what felt like someone licking her hand. Her eyes flew open and scanned the bed finding a big brown lab licking her fingers. She began to pet the sweet dog and it rubbed against her hand as she did so. Piper loved animals, especially dogs.

It didn't take long for Piper to realize where she was as memories of the previous night flooded her brain almost overwhelmingly. She sat up in bed and looked around the huge room. She noticed the Advil and cup of water on the nightstand and almost immediately took it, trying to numb the pain from her head. Piper gently touched under her eye and winced, her skin feeling raw. She was sure it was purple and blue.

Piper rested her head back on the pillow, unsure of what to do with herself. Tyler had seemed so familiar to her the night before. She was quite out of it, but she still thought she recognized him. She scanned the room a second time until she saw her bag and heels by her bed on the floor. She leaned down to grab her phone from her bag and started digging through the internet, trying to see if she could find out who Tyler was.

She clicked on a few different websites until she found one hockey related with a headline that read...

"Tyler Paul Seguin is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, currently an alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League."

"You're awake..." A deep voice said, making Piper jump and drop her phone in her lap. She looked towards the door and saw Tyler peeking in.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked walking in the room.

"Okay... um thank you... for... last night..." Piper studdered, unsure of what to say other than thank you. Tyler smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed, petting the dog who was still curled up beside her.

"Don't worry about it. Sorry about Marshall... he must have snuck up here this morning. He seems to like you." Tyler said rubbing Marshall's stomach. Piper smiled.

"He's sweet." Piper said petting Marshall's head.

"How's your eye feel? Need some ice?" Tyler asked looking directly into Piper's eyes, making her slightly nervous.

"No I'm fine..." Piper said with a small smile as she continued to pat Marshall. Tyler stood and left the room for a little then returned with a box. He sat down on the bed closer to her this time and Piper instantly tensed up a little. Tyler started digging through the small box and eventually pulled out some sort of liquid and put some of it on a cotton pad.

"You have a cut on your cheek. Let me clean it." He said. Tyler gently held Piper's face as he pressed the cotton pad to her cheek. Piper winced a little in pain as the liquid seeped into the cut. Tyler apologized softly and removed the cotton pad and then his large hand. 

"And here's the ice you didn't want for your eye." Tyler said as he handed Piper a bag of ice wrapped in a thin towel. Piper smiled, embarrassed and muttered a thank you.

"Lay back down and put that on it. Do you want some coffee or anything?" Tyler asked as he stood up. Piper shook her head no, not wanting to impose, even though she desperately wanted some strong black coffee. Tyler nodded then looked at Marshall lying next to her.

"Do you want me to take him?" Tyler asked. Piper shook her head.

"No, but I can go... you've already helped me a lot and I don't want to be in your way..." Piper said. Tyler shook his head.

"You're not in my way... plus you can't leave Marsh. You too just became friends. Right bud?" He asked the dog. Marshall wagged his tail. Piper smiled.

"Okay..." Piper replied unsure of why Tyler had wanted her to stay. Maybe he was just being polite. Piper was more than happy to stay in bed all day and rest. She wasn't sure she could move all that well anyway from the events of last night.

"Just yell if you need anything, k?" Tyler said before leaving the room. Piper watched him go and once he was gone she let her eyes shut. She hadn't been able to take in his features last night. He had medium length dark hair that curled a little at the ends along with deep brown eyes. He had tattoos covering both arms and a slight beard that made him look a bit older. Suddenly, Piper's eyes popped back open and she reached for her phone once again. She googled his age.

Twenty seven.

"Twenty seven?" Piper asked herself. He was eight years older than her. Eight whole years.

She was staying at a man's house who was eight years older than her. She shook her head and laughed a little thinking about what her mother would say about it.

She set her phone back down and shut her eyes again. She let herself drift back to sleep knowning she needed the rest. She felt safe wrapped in the heavy blankets with Marshall pressed up against her leg. She felt safe in this house.

Piper never felt safe. There were always people around her trying to use her to get something for themselves. Although she didn't really know Tyler, she didn't feel like she had to be as cautious around him. She didn't feel like he had an alterier motive other than to just help her out. It was a new feeling to her and she liked it.